Karella? What is Karella?

I was actually looking at one when I uttered those words, which have been echoed by others online, I realized later. It looks like a cucumber with a knobbly skin, but I was told quite categorically that it was not a cucumber, but a type of gourd. Having found karela, or karella in a dictionary, I was informed that it was a bitter melon, or bitter gourd, although some varieties are called balsam pears.

So what do you do with one? First of all you should scrape off the lumpy bits as these are too bitter to contemplate eating; I was given a piece to taste. Then you salt them as you would an eggplant (aubergine), to remove the bitter juices, and you should remove the seeds, which can be dried and later ground to use to flavour pakoras (vegetable fritters), and other dishes.

Then you can cook them with meat or stuff them (recipe below), or you can pickle them and use as a condiment. In fact the bitter gourd or bitter melon is a very useful vegetable, once you have acquired a taste for it. That is perhaps best shown by the fact that there is a National Bitter Melon Council in the States, which was set up by devotees of the bitter gourd to promote its use.

Medical research has shown that the bitter melon may prove to be helpful in treatments for HIV and in delaying the growth of some cancers. It can also help to control blood sugar levels. Traditionally, in China and the Asian subcontinent, it has been used to relieve fatigue and to quench one's thirst. The oil from the seeds will clean a wound and help staunch the flow of blood. It is also believed that when eaten, it purifies the blood, and prevents pimples and acne.

The recipe below is new one, based on a traditional one, which is good hot or cold, and can be served with other vegetables or salads.

Abbas' Stuffed Karella

Ingredients

1 kilo bitter melon

½ kilo minced (ground) meat

2 onions, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ handful fresh mint leaves, shredded

½ handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

6 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

Method

Scrape the skin from the karella, cut a long slit in the karella from top to bottom and remove the seeds. Rub salt into it and leave for 20 minutes so that the bitter juices are extracted. Rinse them in cold water and dry them.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, and fry the garlic and ginger for 2 mins, then add the onions and fry for a further 2 mins. Add the meat and tomatoes along with all the dried spices and thyme and stir. As the karella will have retained some salt, don't add too much at this stage. Cook this mixture, stirring occasionally for 10 - 15 mins or until it becomes dry.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the fresh herbs and green chillies, and stir to mix well. Allow the mixture to cool.

Stuff the karella with the mixture, and secure with string.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the karella on all sides over a low heat until it changes colour and goes brown. (About 10 mins.)Serve hot or cold.

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